My favorite is when someone tells me that they are too old to learn about new technology, or that they can’t use a device because they aren’t very tech-y. No, you just refuse to learn.
I would love to see a majority of people stop considering ‘new tech’ as the magical wand/solution to all their problems, and see them stop considering ‘new tech’ as a necessity in their lives. Whatever their age.
My favorite is when someone tells me that they are too old to learn about new technology, or that they can’t use a device because they aren’t very tech-y. No, you just refuse to learn.
Beware of that kind of shortcuts, they often can be very wrong.
Also, do you think old people not wanting to use whatever new app or service is more of an issue than younger people not be willing to not use same app or service?
Working in a store with a self-service printing center, I can tell you it’s a lack of wanting to learn, or even read. Instructions are spelled out on the copiers, but many of my customers will demand someone to help them before even looking at the device because they claim they are too old and not tech-minded enough to do it themselves. Actual excuses to not even trying.
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na boy some peoplw be dumb as fuck. Some don’t want but somenare incapable…as you can see by the state of the world
That any website outside of corpo net is the Evil Dark Web. I can’t stand my tech illiterate friends that refuse to use the fediverse or any non tracking YouTube links. If a site is HTML only they shit their pants.
When did people get so dumb about computers ? Man.
People need to learn innovation is not always progress, and that some paths forward are dead ends.
Not exploring the Settings menu of a new device. That should be the first thing you do when you first power on a new device. Most people just go with whatever the default settings are. Hell, some have never even seen their settings menu beyond the wifi connection.
People with no technical background insisting that “AI” is taking over and is sentient, even when I try to explain how it actually works. They refuse to believe that maybe all of those breathless “news” articles are clickbait hype-mongering.
“You just don’t like it because it’s gonna take your job!” Keep believing that, imbeciles.
I hear a lot of people worrying about this being the case in the future but I don’t remember hearing anyone claiming that about our current LLMs.
I believe the premise of your argument is false, there are lots of people who aren’t capable of learning something. Not just because they refuse to learn but because there are genetic limitations. it’s scientifically proved by the bell curve of intelligence. There are just people who will not learn the same as you as you will not be able to learn as someone else unless you are a genius. For example I am dumb as fuck about quantum physics but I perfectly know all the settings in a smartphone and there are people who are worse or are better doing the same.
I’m not saying people with less intelligence are bad people and geniuses are good people, I’m just saying everyone is different, and not just about intelligence, physical characteristics vary too, as for example I don’t believe you can play in the NBA and also not me. You got my point?
I’d argue that quantum physics is genuinely difficult, but also not very applicable to most people’s daily life. The stuff that computer illiterate people struggle with tends to be both relatively easy and very applicable to daily life, and many of these people aren’t as dumb about all other parts of their lives.
I’d argue that quantum physics is genuinely difficult, but also not very applicable to most people’s daily life.
Anybody who claims to understand quantum physics … doesn’t. If you think it’s easy to understand, then you have a very superficial and incorrect understanding of it. Actual quantum physicists, the foremost experts in the field … they may know the math behind it and be able to figure some of it out … but they’ll be the first to tell you that they don’t understand most of it, though they’re constantly trying.
What is the distinction you are making between knowing the math and understanding it?
Quantum physicist: “This is the equation that describes the phenomenon and has so far done a very good job of predicting the outcome.”
“Cool. Why does it work like that?”
Quantum physicist: *shrug* “Hopefully maybe someday we can figure that out.”
The idea that people are available 24/7.
I’m old and tech-y, and my contemporaries still use the “I’m too old to learn” line on me - and then ask me to sort out their issue. Deeply annoying.
Me too, and I really think we need to be less accepting of it in general. I’ve known lots of people whose job involves using computers, and they can’t use them and refuse to learn and expect others to help them constantly. I don’t mind showing someone how to do something if it’s a new thing that they don’t know, but I’ve known people who get someone else to do the same simple task for them whenever it comes up, sometimes for years. And I don’t mean learning everything there is to know about computers, but like basic shit necessary for your job like where files go when you save them, or how to format text in a Word doc.
Like… if your job is being a delivery driver and you don’t know how to drive and you refuse to learn, people won’t accept it. But for some reason it’s fine with computers. I get that you may not like computers, but again, it’s your job. Learn it.
That every generation of device is going to be the next greatest thing and they should all have huge leaps like in the early 2000’s.
I doubt people switching from the rotary phones to touch tone phones were complaining a year later about not having something better from the phones.
this post reads like an entitled youth complaining about old people.
you know that video of the kids that can’t figure out how to use a rotary dial telephone? yeah, that’s exactly what happens to old folks who can’t figure out how to use a smart phone, or computer, or a smart TV, or a, or a, or a…
technological context is important. you can’t just pick up a piece of technology and immediately understand how to use it. you have to understand not just how it works, but why it works the way it does. knowing the why takes a history of the whole feature.
it’d be like if I posted a meme you have zero context about and I make fun of you for not understanding it and call you an old dumb fuck for not grasping on the basic understandings of why it’s funny.
The issue as I have presented isn’t one of “Old People Dumb”, but one of the idea that older people shouldn’t refuse to learn about something because they are “too old”. Or enabling that line of thinking. I recently had a customer buy a new computer for me and paid for a setup. I needed account details, and he had no idea what his accounts were, his passwords, just that he wanted his computer setup. When I asked for any passwords to get the setup done, he didn’t know because his kids set all that up. If the kids took a moment to show him what was going on, how things worked, maybe he would have had an idea when he needed it.
to riff off your example, what’s an account? is there a bank involved or should I get in contact with my financial advisor? Did I get mail about the accounts? perhaps some kind of ID card came for me in the mail?
what’s an account?
my point still remains. not only were you asking him to understand what an account is, but also the nuances between different accounts and what they do. like knowing what the difference is between a Facebook and email account is.
you take your historical knowledge of technology for granted. one day, sooner than you think, you’re going to be that old man ranting about how nothing works and technology sucks.
To clarify, I was asking for his M$ account details. And when I needed to get the verification codes out of his email, he kept giving me a password for what he thought was a working account.
Clicking OK without reading the box.
It won’t work, I get an error.
What’s the error say?
Let me try again. Ok it says enter a time.
Did you enter a time?
No.
My sister works in tech and it’s concerning to me how much she believes all the hype from tech startups. Sometimes i wonder if she is serious and sometimes it is painfully obvious she is.
I remember one time she urging me to use this app that ‘translated cat meows.’ the concept sounded just silly to me but I induldged her by recording and “translating” the meows of her cat that i had been taking care of for a couple of years. The interpreted cat meows according to the app revealed that the cat supposedly loves me, and i’ m her favorite and she is sad when i am not around. (which is standard cat behavior if you treat them well and especially for this cat that is very caring and social.
My sister reacted like she was jealous, not only believing everything the app translated but also feeling like i displaced her as her cat’s favorite human. The whole experience was surreal.
I’m tired of people breaking software. If your software broke because of a dependency then next time maybe you shouldn’t introduce one.
Or it is poorly documented. Like what, you think you’ve made a quantum kind of software that is so special you felt you didn’t need to jot any notes down of it?
